How to recycle/dispose of lawn mowers / riding mowers

Curbside collection: Request scrap metal pickup
County facilities accepting lawn mowers / riding mowers:
 Shady Grove Processing Facility & Transfer Station

Find this page fast with this shortcut: www.montgomerycountymd.gov/scrapmetal

Recycling tips for these metal items:

• Bicycles
• Sewing machines
• Wire hangers

What is scrap metal?

We define scrap metal as "any item made of 51% or more metal".

To request a curbside scrap metal recycling collection

Curbside scrap metal collections are free, and are made on your regular recycling day. However, pickups must be arranged in advance of your recycling day.

1. Make an itemized list of all of the items you want us to collect.
   
   
2. Request your scrap metal recycling collection
   
   

   Request your collection this way	by this deadline for pickup on your next recycling collection day
   fill out our online form	11:59 p.m. on the day before your collection day
   call 311 (out-of-County: 240‑777‑0311, TTY: 240‑773‑3556).	7:00 p.m. on the business day before your collection day

   If you request your pick up after the deadline, we'll collect your scrap metal items the following week on your recycling collection day.

3. Set your metal items at the curb by 7 a.m. on your recycling day; do not put your scrap metal items in your blue bin.

To cancel a scrap metal collection

Call 311 (out-of-County: 240‑777‑0311, TTY: 240‑773‑3556) by 7:00 p.m. on the business day before your collection day. Thank you for the courtesy call!

We accept these scrap metal items in our curbside collections

Curbside scrap metal items may be up to 8 feet long. Longer items will not fit into the collection trucks.

Examples of household metals items we accept curbside are:

• large household appliances
  • including dishwashers, clothes washers, clothes dryers, air conditioners, dehumidifiers, stoves, wall ovens, microwave ovens, etc.
• bicycles
• cabinets
• doors
• fencing, chain link and wire
  • Fencing must be rolled up and free of rust.
• file cabinets
• grills
• iron furniture and railings
• lawnmowers
  • Empty the mower of all fuel and oil fluids and remove batteries (if relevant) before placing it at the curb for pickup.
  • Our curbside program cannot pick up riding mowers.
• metal sheds
  • Sheds must be disassembled.
• shower stalls
• aluminum lawn chairs
• refrigerators/freezers
  • By law, you must remove the doors before setting refrigerators and freezers out at the curb for collection -- we cannot accept units with doors still attached.
• swing sets
  • Swing sets must be disassembled and without concrete on legs.

To drop your scrap metal items off at the Transfer Station

Solid Waste Processing Facility and Transfer Station
16101 Frederick Road
Derwood MD 20855
Transfer Station hours of operation, map, directions

At the Solid Waste Processing Facility and Transfer Station, follow the signs to the Public Unloading Facility's recycling area. Locate the scrap metal pile and unload your items. If you need assistance, please speak to an attendant.

There is no charge for delivering scrap metal items.

We accept these scrap metal items at the Transfer Station

At the Transfer Station, we accept all of the materials picked up by our curbside scrap metal recycling program.

In addition, you may bring items of any size: the curbside collection length restriction does not apply to the Transfer Station. This includes screws, nails, and other hardware; pots and pans; and other small household metal items, and ones which are oversized for curbside collection.

Riding mowers

Riding mowers are not accepted in the curbside scrap metal program. However, if drained of their oil and gas and transported directly there, riding mowers are accepted as scrap metal at our Transfer Station.

We cannot accept these metal items in any of our scrap metal programs

• Vehicles or automotive parts, including engine blocks
  • These items are generally accepted by automobile parts recyclers or automobile wrecking and salvage businesses.
• Paint cans
• Oxygen or propane tanks, or other containers under pressure

Tips for recycling metal items

Bicycles

Bicycles are accepted as scrap metal in our curbside scrap metal recycling program, as well as at the Shady Grove Transfer Station.

Donate no-longer-wanted, repairable bicycles, parts, and accessories for donation, reconditioning, and reuse overseas, directly through Bikes for the World.
Bikes for the World drop-off locations and events.

Sewing Machines

Sewing machines are accepted as scrap metal in our curbside scrap metal recycling program, as well as at the Shady Transfer Station.

Find local donation opportunities for sewing machines in our "Use It Again" guide. Select "Sewing Machines", and then "Donate/Recycle it."

Wire Hangers

• Reuse
  • The best "disposal" method for wire hangers is reuse! Check with your local dry cleaners to see whether they accept wire hangers -- many do!
• Recycling
  • Curbside blue bin program
    • Sorry, we do not accept plastic or wire hangers in our curbside blue bin program
  • Curbside scrap metal collection program
    • If you have a scrap metal collection scheduled for large metal items, you may add your hangers to the pile.
    • We do not schedule scrap metal collections for hangers alone.
  • Solid Waste Processing Facility and Transfer Station
    • We accept hangers in the scrap metal drop-off. Follow the signs to the Recycling area.
• Trash
  • You may put plastic and wire hangers into your regular household trash.

"How to recycle/dispose of..." Index

This information last updated 4/24/2013.